The Blossom Appeal has donated £5,680 to buy a new mammography chair for North Manchester General Hospital.

The Wolverson 5010 Stereotactic Mammography Chair gives patients a much more comfortable experience when they are undergoing longer biopsy investigations, as it keeps them in a supportive position whilst they are having their various tests.

It can be adapted to suit a number of positions, helps with accurate positioning during procedures and is wipe clean for hospital hygiene.

Charity chairperson Iris David said: “We raise funds specifically to buy this sort of equipment which the NHS may not be able to afford but which nevertheless helps to make a patient’s cancer journey that bit more dignified and comfortable. Patients need to be positioned and keep that position during their investigation which sometimes can be very difficult. This mammography chair enables the patient to maintain the necessary position in a supportive way.”

The Blossom Appeal is an independent charity which raises money for the breast cancer care units at the Royal Oldham Hospital and North Manchester General Hospital.

The funds raised are used to provide better facilities for patients, including new equipment and complementary therapy sessions, such as aromatherapy massages, acupuncture and make-over days. It has raised over £200,000 for the breast care units since its launch in 2000.

10 April 2014: BIG thanks to Fiona Heggie from lawyers Linklaters for an amazing £675 raised for the Blossom Appeal by running a half marathon in London at the end of February. Linklaters generously matched all donations, bringing the final total to a whopping £1,350.

19 October 2013: The 13th annual Blossom Appeal Gala Dinner got spooky this year with a fabulous Halloween theme at the Hilton in Manchester. We had all the usual top class entertainment and dancing plus a prize for the best-dressed Halloween guest and an amazing top raffle prize of a stunning diamond ring. Katie McGlynn (Coronation Street’s Sinead Tinker) was on hand to help to raise money via our auction. To see pics from this year’s event, please click here.

22 September 2013: 21 intrepid daredevils enjoyed an adrenaline-pumping abseil down the outside of the Bell Tower at the Trafford Centre on Sunday 22nd September.

Despite the wet and windy weather the preceding week, the sun came out on Sunday together with many friends and family to support them on the ground. Our thrillseekers took in stunning views across Manchester, the Peak District and Cheshire before stepping over the edge and making the nerve-jangling 60m (200ft) drop back down to earth!

The event has raised nearly £2k already with more sponsorship still to come in.

A huge THANKS to the brave adventurers who took part and to everyone who supported them on the day or with sponsorship.

Illusionist Ian Lavin delivered another spellbinding set of magical mayhem.

Musical theatre actress Abi Finley performed “The problem with finding an acting role…” – a hilarious insight into the crazy world of auditions – and revealed some fascinating back stage secrets from her career in both spoken word and song. Abi’s first break was her appearance on the BBC Reality TV programme How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, created by Andrew Lloyd Webber to find someone to play Maria von Trapp in The Sound Of Music. She was subsequently cast by Tim Rice as Fiona in Blondel at the Pleasance Theatre, London and Serena in Fame on a UK national tour, and has been widely praised for her singing voice and acting skills.

14 October 2012: On 14th October, we hosted one of our most exciting events to date with a breathtaking 250m long zip wire from the top of the Imperial War Museum North across the Salford Quays waterfront and down to the Lowry Theatre below!

Thirty intrepid volunteers made the nerve-jangling descent to raise money for the Blossom Appeal, launching themselves from the air shard at a height of 30m.

Our thanks go to all the brave participants. Click here to view more photos.